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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Local paper posting mumsnet stories online

17 replies

anonforthespies43267 · 15/04/2019 08:07

So basically unless you’re so vague and give no detail whatsoever, you’re at risk of your posts not being anonymous or having to give more detail so people don’t automatically blame you and as a result someone working out it’s your post if the paper decide to take your post and publish it online?

Surely this will stop people posting or just cause anxiety like it has for me now??

OP posts:
PutyourtoponTrevor · 15/04/2019 08:09

Well you've said in the first part of your post, be vague and don't give too much detail. It's a publish forum, quite often there's Mumsnet posted on the Daily Fail website, they've been in the Mirror and the Sun also. Probably lots of others too

ApplestheHare · 15/04/2019 08:11

Mumsnet is a public forum. Anything you post may be seen by anybody, regardless of whether or not a newspaper summarises your posts.

ShatnersWigIsActuallyAMammoth · 15/04/2019 08:14

@anon Are you new to Mumsnet? That's the only reason you wouldn't already know this. The number of threads over the last 3-4 years that have found their way to (usually) the Daily Fail but some other papers as well is quite considerable.

Whoops75 · 15/04/2019 08:14

It’s a huge issue and one the site should do something about.

I wouldn’t start a thread again after seeing what’s happened a few this week.
I’m going to comment only in future Sad

Original poster
anonforthespies43267 · 15/04/2019 08:19

@ShatnersWigIsActuallyAMammoth No not particularly new, just go through phases of being active. I guess I was naive and thought they’d need to ask permission or something but just read on the FAQs they don’t.

@Whoops75 same. Especially when being asked for more detail to back up my own point which in turn has probably given more detail than I’d have wanted.

OP posts:
ShatnersWigIsActuallyAMammoth · 15/04/2019 08:22

@Whoops75 And what, precisely, do you think "the site" SHOULD do about it and what do you think they CAN do about it (as they are two different things)?

notacooldad · 15/04/2019 08:30

There's always stories in the Manchester E 3ning News and Liverpool echo on FB about Mn. Its probably the same for other regional papers.
The echo reported the dtorycanoutxs husband and wife not agreeing on a baby name yesterday.

Original poster
anonforthespies43267 · 15/04/2019 08:34

That’s the post my local paper has used too and we’re no where near Manchester or Liverpool... @notacooldad

OP posts:
SileneOliveira · 15/04/2019 08:37

But unless you are stupid enough to have posted something like "My name is Jane Smith and I live in Green Street, Watford, with my children Harry, Sammy and Tommy" you are not going to be identified.

However unique and special you think your circumstances are, they really aren't. Not all Mumsnetters are in the UK. There will be millions of women fighting with their husbands, having disagreements with friends or struggling with children's behaviour. And if your story is REALLY one of those which is so, so unusual that it really couldn't ever be anyone else, why post it?

MsVestibule · 15/04/2019 08:40

I hate it that they do this. It's stopped me posting once as even with minor details changed, if it did get into the papers, it would have been very obvious it was me and cause far more problems than the initial dilemma!

However, I don't think there's anything MN can do about it. It is a public forum and unfortunately it's easy 'journalism' for them to fill their own online space.

ShatnersWigIsActuallyAMammoth · 15/04/2019 08:41

@anon You'll find that lots of local papers are owned by the same company as each other or by one of the companies that owns a national. This is why you'll often see stories that are fuck all to do with your local area - it's clickbait, quick and easy.

vintanner · 15/04/2019 08:42

The last post from me, then.

Foslady · 15/04/2019 08:48

So many times this site has helped people in difficult situations and now thanks to lazy journalists people are getting more and more cautious about posting.
I find it sad that it’s being spoilt by people who can’t be arsed to actually work at their craft and instead do a copy and paste job in order to file copy

Illberidingshotgun · 15/04/2019 08:50

It's a public forum, which anyone in the world can read, and use the information from. I have recognised people I know in RL purely by chance. If you post on here then literally anyone can read it and publish it. I think it's easy to forget this, as it can feel like a safe space. It's not, and it can never be.

If you have specific issues that you want online advice/support with, then perhaps look for online forums specific to the issues, closed FB groups etc.

SnowsInWater · 15/04/2019 09:12

Lazy Australian journalists are onto it too. Pisses me off when someone turns a thread here into an "article", I can't believe newspapers pay for it.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 15/04/2019 09:15

I can't believe newspapers pay for it

They don't, generally. They are usually 'filler' articles to hit a quota for filed articles, that the 'writer' is then only paid based on how many views there are on that particular article. Hence why they go after busy forums, in the hope that if enough people were interested on here, people will click through on news sites and it'll generate them some money.

Not that this makes it any better at all!

InternetArgument · 15/04/2019 09:17

If you use the Internet in a non-paranoid manner you have no privacy anyway. Anyone can be “outed” given sufficient motivation.

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